Ashod Donikian

I’m a 3x startup founder (2x venture-backed) with deep experience building companies from research to market. My first startup spun out of my PhD in robotics and machine learning, giving me first-hand insight into turning cutting-edge research into real products and businesses. Moving from Australia to the US to found my first company also taught me the challenges of building a startup as a foreign founder.

Throughout my journey, I’ve learned how to balance product development, customer needs, and the complexities of managing research and software teams—all while serving as a CEO and technical founder.

I know how valuable it is to have real startup experience on your side—not just advice from consultants or business school frameworks. My goal is to be that resource for founders, helping with pitch decks, fundraising, team building, product strategy, IP and patents, sales, and even M&A.

How I can help:
- Crafting a pitch deck that attracts investors
- Hiring top talent as a small, emerging startup
- Balancing research and software development teams
- Developing effective interview techniques
- Choosing the right investors and navigating negotiations
- Creating sales strategies and pricing models
- Guiding through the process of selling your startup

I offer actionable advice from deep-tech founding, fundraising, and team management experience. If you’re building an early-stage startup and need guidance, reach out!

Founder Experience:
- Current Startup: Building a consumer iOS app
- Robotics Startup: Founded a machine learning company from my robotics PhD, raised $3.7M, secured patents, built a team, and led acquisition talks.
- Web3 Ad Startup: Co-founded a venture-backed startup, raised $4M, and developed the initial codebase.
- Technical Expertise: Experienced in hardware/software engineering, real-time estimation, and ML code in C++.
- Education & Speaking: PhD in Robotics, lecturer, and speaker at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and other universities.